The man Arun loves is kin to the wolf; but Arun is kin to darkness itself. Arun is in training to be a priest of the Fire God when he is abruptly plucked from his peaceful studies, bespelled and staked out as bait to capture a monster—a wolfkin. But the wolfkin isn’t quite what Arun expected. He has a name, Trae, and he’s more man than beast. And from their first touch, they are far more than predator and prey to each other.

Instead of killing Arun, Trae spirits him away to the distant city of Shireen. There, on a family plot of land, they should have a good life together. But the spell that a witch cast on Arun is growing stronger, taking over—and it still wants to destroy the wolfkin.

Torn between the power of the spell and his love for Trae, Arun must face the darkness within him—or it will kill them both.

THE REVIEW

This is a most unusual book with an unlikely pair of protagonists. Arun is forced by threats of harm to his only living relative, his sister Miri, to assist Jeryl the town’s lord capture the wolfkin, Trae. Jeryl sees the wolfkin as his source to living a very long life and he does not hesitate in demanding that Arun sacrifice himself to his cause by giving up his virginity to the wolfkin. In effect this would ban him from entering the priesthood and serving the Fire God, Arun’s greatest goal and something for which he has spent most of his life preparing. But when he sees Trae for the first time, instead of being repulsed by his appearance he is captivated; when Trae touches him he is surprised by his reaction and the feelings he arouses. The sex, instead of being something to be endured turns out to be quite pleasurable. However, he is determined to fulfill his mission and save his sister from the Jeryl’s clutches.

After assisting Jeryl’s men to trap and capture Trae through the powers of an amulet he is given by a witch that weakens the wolfkin, Arun is overcome by remorse and is determined to rescue him so he sets out a few days later to find him. During their escape and journey to Shireen, Trae’s village Arun tries to save him yet again by offering himself as bait for their pursuers but Trae refuses to let him go and they eventually reach their destination together. But there is something wrong with Arun which prevents him from responding to his feelings for Trae and the evil is taking over his life and is urging him to kill the wolfkin. Can Trae help him find his way before the spell overwhelms him and destroys everyone? Who or what is behind the spell?

The author has created an incredible world for this story and I really felt as if I were living in this medieval/historical time period due to her imaginative and descriptive talents. The story is very short but it carries a lot of impact. Arun is a wonderful character who is conflicted by his emotions and love for Trae on the one hand but continues to despair that his sacrifice will forever prevent him from achieving his dream and vocation of serving the Fire God. He is lost in his own world throughout part of the book and the dialogue at times is almost non-existent as he struggles within himself to resist forces beyond his control that are trying to harm Trae through him. However he is not weak or wimpy but a strong character as he continues to fight for his man/wolf even if he feels the only solution will result in losing his own life. Trae on the other hand has a more supportive role in the book as he tries to understand the changes in Arun and does his best to help despite the possibility that do so could mean he might lose him forever.

If you’re looking for a book that does not fit the typical paranormal genre but is extraordinary and appeals to your emotions and sense of adventure then I would highly recommend Wolfkin. This book will not appeal to everyone because the story and characters are quite different and there is very little sex, however, if you’re willing to enter Trae’s and Arun’s world you will have a wonderful experience.